Improvement in clarinets



' llnitrli gitana @anni @Wina JACOB REBHUN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.'

Letters Patent No. 93,005, dated July 27, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN CLARINETS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patentiand making part of the same.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JACOB REBHUN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and improved Clarinet; 'and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will 'enable others skilledl in the art to' make and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming partei' this specifi` cation, in which- Figure l represents a side4 view of my improved clarinet.

Figure 2 is a faceview of the same.

Figure 3 is a detail longitudinal section of the same.

Figures 4 and 5 are transverse sections of the same, taken respectively ou the planes of the lines x a: and y y, a 2- Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. l

The object of this invention is to so construct and arrange the keys and levers of a clarinet, that didicult passages, which could heretofore not be produced, such as various kinds of ,trills and shakes, can, without diicnlty, be obtained, and that the fingers will be relieved of the'great strain to which they are4 subjected on thev ordinary instruments now in use, while playing certain diilicult passages. .v A

'.lhe invention consists in the arrangement of certain new keys and levers, and in a new manner of dis'- posing'the same, with the object of giving the playe a more thorough control over the instrument. i Y A, iu thedxawing, represents the tubular body of the clarinet. It-is provided with the' apertures-and mouth-piece, in .the ordinary or suitable manner, and is composed 'of sections or made. of one'single piece as may be desired` B is the lower B-key, attached to a jointed doublepivot lever, C, which is, at its upper end, held up by a spring, so that the key will be automatically held open, to play the note C.

D is the O-key, attached to a swivel-pin, a, which has a handle, b, anda projecting ear, c.

An ear, d, on the lever, O, fits under the ear c. When, therefore, the key B is closed by depressing the upper end of the lever G, the ear c will be swung up, and thereby the key D will also be closed, whereby theA tone B is played.

E is the ordinary O-sharp key. It is secured to a single lever, F, which has an ear, e, fitting under the ear c, so that'when the key E is opened, it will close the key D. I have provided a second`G-sharp key, G, which is attach ed to a single pivot-j ointed lever, H, whose handle is near that-oi` the key D. I is a transverse plate, pivoted to the tube A, and provided with arms, which reach over-the levers F and H. VVhen'the key E is raised, it will raise its side of the plate I, and thereby depress the key G.

Between the levers O and F is provided a long lever, J, which has .its transverse handle, f, extend over those of O and F, and which, when held down, raises the plate I, to close the key G.

It has also a projecting ear, g, fitting vunder c, to close the key D, together with G.

Vhen the handles of the keys D and G are held down, the O-keyis closed, and the -key G opened. Then, by oscillating the lever C, it will alternately close and open the keys B and G, as it acts on the plate I. The otherwise very diiiicult BLG-sharp trill is thus produced.

The lever .I is not to be held down with such force that it will close the key B and -open E.

K is the ordinary E-ilat key, arranged in suitable manner. I haveprovided a second Elflat key, L, opposite to it. It is attached to a jointed double-pivot lever, M. A separate key, N, below L, is provided to supply the necessary air, and is raised simultaneously with L, as the lever M rests on N, so that the lever O of N, when held against the tube, serves to open both keys, L N.

The position of the second E-iiat key is such that it can be operated conveniently in places where the. original one could not be readily played.

All the hereinbefore-described keys are held closed by springs, except the keys B and D,` which are held open.

' In order to produce the diiheult Gr'sharp-A trill of the higher, as well as the lower octaves,-I have arranged, above the ordinary `well-known G-sharp' key, not shown in the drawing, a second key, P, for the higher, and Q'for the lower octave.

The levers of. these keys reach, with their handles, close to the handles vof G F J, so that they can be .con-

veniently played in conjunction with either of the other keys.

Vihenv one of these keys P Q is opened, together With-the G-sharp key belonging to the same, the tone A will be produced, and by alternately oscillating such G-sharp key, and the key I or Q, belonging thereto, the G-sharp and A trill will be produced, which was heretofore very dicult, on account of the necessity of playing on the hole provided for A.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim as new, and desire to s'ecure by Letters Patentl. The B-key B, connected with the lever C, which has the ear d, toactuate the C-key D, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The lever F of the C-sharp 'key E, when provided with the ear c, to close the key D, as set forth.

3. The lever J, pivoted between the levers O andzF, to act at once on the keys D and G, substantially as herein shown and described.

sharp key, G, to opeiate substantially as herein shown and desoribed.

6. The application, to a clarinet, of a second E-at key, L, substantially as herein shown and described.

7. The combination of'. the secondary E-flatkey L with the key N and levers M, substantially as herein shown and described.

8. The keys P and Q, or either, provided, together with the G-sharp keys, to produce A and the G-sharp and A trill, substantially as herein shown and described.

J AGOB REBHUN.

Witnesses:

FRAYK BLOCKLEY, ALEX. F. ROBERTS. 

